


Fascination

by itsab



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Assassin's Creed III, F/M, Reader-Insert, Romance, Running Away, colonisation (it is a warning), small murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23770591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsab/pseuds/itsab
Summary: Connor knew very little about romance, but the assassin did know when something (or someone) fascinated him.
Relationships: Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor/Reader
Kudos: 50





	Fascination

**Author's Note:**

> Mentions of racism, in colonial America? *gasp* A shock!

Connor Kenway, or Ratonhnhaké:ton, didn’t know too much about being in romantic relationships. Apart from what he’d witnessed as a young child, in his village, or the little he’d witnessed in the strict British colonies, in his later years, he was clueless. He refused to ask Achilles, so the young Kanien’kenhá:ka male read books on the matter. He perused various romantic novels, most of which held great tales of love, and many had men defeating insane beasts, in order to woo the women they desired.

Frankly, none of these tales struck the young, teenaged Connor as very accurate.

It did not matter to him, either way. Very few women talked to him, as he spent much time away from the Kanien’kenhá:ka village, and the colonist women often looked down on him, due to his heritage. Ratonhnhaké:ton could possibly count on his fingers, the number of female colonists who treated him as an equal, or at least equal to the male colonists.

Y/N Y/L later became one of those women.

She was the new housekeeper and cook that Achilles had employed. She hailed from New York, and had arrived at the homestead at the beginning of the summer. Y/N now lived in the manor with the old man, and the young assassin, cleaning, cooking and running the household.

She enjoyed her time living with the men, finding them both quite endearing. Achilles was a wise man, who often very funny, despite his original grouchy countenance. She found Connor kind, caring, handsome, and a little naïve sometimes. Y/N observed how the two men clearly cared for each other as a father and son would, but never voiced this, due to what she assumed was their masculine pride. Y/N liked their presence… Connor’s especially.

He too, was fascinated by her – the young man found Y/N funny, beautiful, and incredibly knowledgeable about a number of diverse subjects, most of which were literature or business based.

The two said nothing, but it was obvious to both Achilles and Connor, that whilst Y/N claimed to be the daughter of a humble farmer, her schooling and demeanour spoke of a vastly different upbringing. Another factor, Connor found, was the way she wore her hair. He understood her hairstyle was a sign that she was more likely blue-blooded, than from the land. Y/N’s hair was often up, as most women wore it (Connor had only seen it down a handful of times, usually at night, and it was never purposely done by her). The hairstyles she wore were intricate, unlike the low-hanging, simple buns most women in the homestead region wore. To Ratonhnhaké:ton, this suggested a childhood of pampering, as no woman who was raised on a farm, would have the time to learn such frivolous things.

Achilles let her oddities go, a feat Connor could not employ. He was strangely fixated on her, for reasons he felt went beyond his norms. “Why do you lie about your past, Y/N?” He asked the burning question, thoroughly startling Y/N, one night.

The girl choked on her tea, causing her to cough once, before she managed a, “Excuse me? Connor, why do you ask this?” The girl began to fiddle with her teacup’s handle.

Connor bluntly stated, “You speak too eloquently for a farmer’s daughter, clearly you have been educated as a lady.” He held his cup, but he wasn’t interested in pretending he was focussed on it, unlike Y/N was. “Why do you lie to us?” The underlying ‘why do you lie to me?’ was obvious, and it forced Y/N’s cheeks to heat.

Avoiding his gaze, she told him, “I-I am running from my past, Connor. I don’t speak of it, and that’s all I shall say on the matter.” Then, Y/N rose from her chair, “Goodnight, Mr Kenway.” Connor watched her leave the room, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach.

He left the next day for New York, on ‘official’ Assassin’s business. In truth, he was searching for what remained of Y/N Y/L’s old life.

What he found surprised him. Whilst there was no Y/N Y/L, there was a Y/N Roberts, a young woman from a rich family, who’d disappeared nearly a year ago. Connor had broken into the home and saw a painting that confirmed that it was his Y/N. She’d been sitting in front of a stoic man, and a stern-looking woman, in said painting. He spoke with a maid, who revealed she’d helped Y/N run away. The girl had been desperate to escape an arranged marriage to an unlikeable, elder man. The maid also told Connor Kenway that this man was hunting Y/N down, still. She informed him, that the old man was demanding what he’d paid her parents for.

It took less than an afternoon to track him down. He was an old, but well-established man, who paid the British to avert their gazes from his illegal doings – abusing his wealth, as well as his powers. It didn’t surprise Connor that he was a Templar, as it seemed everyone he came across was. The old man died easily, and the young assassin stole a token when he left.

Returning to the Homestead, Connor found Y/N in the stables, brushing out the horse she had arrived on. Achilles was inside the manor, looking out at the two in the barnyard, unseen by them, but smiling.

“Y/N Roberts.” Connor spoke the old name, causing fear to strike within her heart momentarily. Her head snapped up, and she turned towards him. When she realised that she wasn’t in danger, that it was only Connor, Y/N relaxed slightly. She remained confused how he’d known her true identity, but she understood that Connor wasn’t going to harm her. Despite Y/N’s fear dissipating, Connor still approached her slowly, as if she was a scared animal – something she both did, and didn’t, appreciate. “Here.” He held out a gold-plated pocket-watch, the token he’d stolen from the old man, “You don’t need to run anymore.”

“Connor…”

“He is dead.” The assassin paused, before continuing, “You are free from the arranged marriage. You can leave the homestead, if you wish. You can go back to your life in New York, now.” The thought of her leaving the Homestead manor filled Connor with a deep sadness, one he was sure meant he held a deep affection for this woman (if the books he read were truthful). Pondering this, Ratonhnhaké:ton concluded that he might actually be like those men from the tales. After all, he too defeated great beasts for the women he loved.

“Thank you… Ratonhnhaké:ton.” It was the first time she uttered his true name. Her pronunciation was off, yet it still brought a tender warmth to his heart. Y/N reached out, and took the watch, her fingers brushing his palm, sending sparks of pleasure through his being. “Thank you for truly freeing me… Even so, I’m going to stay here. My life in New York is over.” Her eyes held affection, that Connor assumed was for him. “My life is here, now.”

As the woman wandered back into the manor, Connor’s gaze followed her figure. He was fully aware that he held affections towards Y/N, and that he was going to attempt a romantic entanglement with her. She fascinated him.


End file.
